MAVT Conference

Yesterday I was in the cities all day for the MAVT Conference aka the state conference for vet techs. Yes, it was somewhat expensive, but it is pretty much the only option I have to earn ce credits with me not working at a clinic anymore. It was a lot of fun too. I went up with one of my ex-co-workers from the clinic who went to high school with my sister and is currently dating a good friend so she has entered the picture of my sister and I again. Anyways, we headed to the Twin Cities yesterday morning for a day of fun. When we first got to the hotel where the convention was being held, it took forever to find the registration desk. Once checked-in, we each got a heavy-duty tote bag with 2 zipper pockets filled with the info booklet and a pen. Everyone also got a $23 book similar to a textbook. It's the home edition of health care and diseases for every pet out there: dogs, cars, fish, horses, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, etc. It was then time to head to the first seminar on tick-borne diseases. The lady doing the seminar was from Tennessee, and she was hilarious! She stayed on track but was so random with stories and comments.

After the first seminar, it was time for lunch. I preregistered for the seminar luncheon, so we had to split up. The lunch was amazing and really fancy. When I entered the room, I felt so out of place in my jeans and hoodie. Then I found a table with a couple other people in hoodies to sit with. It was a 3-course meal with salad forks and dinner forks and desert forks. Water and ice tea were served in wine glasses, and a waiter put a cloth napkin on my lab when I sat down. I have never been to a place so fancy before, yet it was just a hotel room. So the meal started with a salad of what my sister and I refer to as "weed lettuce." It's all the dark greens and healthy lettuce vs. the Dole shreds. There were also mandarin orange wedges and olives to the side of the lettuce. Once topped with a vinaigrette, it was a yummy salad. The main course was also pretty yummy. There was baked lemon pepper salmon, steamed brussel sprouts, and buttery rice. The dessert was by far the best part. It was turtle cheesecake: graham cracker crust, layer of hot fudge, homemade cheesecake, topped with caramel sauce and chopped walnuts. It was AMAZING! While eating our meal, the speaker talked about all the different specialities for vet techs. I was interested in the zoology speciality, and I found out some pretty exciting news. As you all know, I am currently going to school for environment science. Being a vet tech and become an environmentalist, I can specialize in zoology and work in a wildlife park or zoo of some sort. I don't HAVE to be working in a zoo to be a specialist. Specializing also means an average increase of $20,000 a year salary. It is something that I am definitely keeping in mind.

After lunch, we met back up and wandered the exhibition hall, where we got TONS of free stuff. Besides the basic pens and candy, we got lots of treats, a bag of greenies, vet wrap, hand sanitizers, an ice scraper, bandage tape, and much more.